Our warm-up gains momentum today, then shifts to a higher gear over the weekend. Say goodbye to those crisp mornings, and hello to increasing heat and humidity, too. The weekend will feature all the hallmarks of summer, including a chance for afternoon and evening thunderstorms. There's good news for those not ready for a permanent shift to summer -- both temperatures and humidity look to moderate as we get into next week.

Today (Friday): Mostly sunny skies catapult morning temperatures through the 50s and 60s, and into the 70s by lunchtime. Afternoon highs probably level off in the low 80s. Breezes increasing to around 10 mph from the southwest may be just enough to refresh. Let's enjoy the humidity-free warmth! Confidence: High

Tonight: An awesome evening awaits with temperatures in the 70s. Skies stay mostly clear through the night but humidity creeps upward. Downtown should see lows in the low 60s, while some spots outside the Beltway may dip into the upper 50s. Confidence: High

What kind of heat does the first weekend of May have in store? Keep reading for the forecast into next week...

Tomorrow (Saturday): The sun shines bright, sending temperatures toward highs in the mid-80s to near 90. In the afternoon, breezes likely pick up to around 10-15 mph from the southwest. With them, you may feel the humidity reaching the slightly uncomfortable level. Building afternoon clouds could form a few late-afternoon or evening thundershowers, with about a 25% chance you'll get wet where you are. Confidence: Medium

Tomorrow Night: Evening shower/thundershower chances remain around 25%. Mostly cloudy skies and muggy air mean a balmy night downtown with lows in the low 70s to near 70. Even the suburbs shouldn't drop below the mid-to-upper 60s. Confidence: Medium

Sunday: Get ready to sweat. With partly sunny skies, temperatures climb toward highs near 90 with humidity in the moderate to high range. By afternoon, breezes from the southwest increase to around 15 mph. As of now, the chance of a cooling afternoon or evening shower or thunderstorm is about 30%. Confidence: Medium

Monday still looks to be on the humid side with a 60% chance of showers and storms as a cool front pushes through. Tuesday should be less humid with showers/storms not as likely -- about a 30-40% chance. Both days should be partly sunny, with highs somewhere in the mid-70s to low 80s. Confidence: Low-Medium

We got the notice that the heat has been turned off and they expect to have the A/C switch done by next Thursday! A week to make the switch? That seems a bit long. Not looking forward to the hot weekend with no A/C.